The present invention relates to a toy building set comprising a plurality of building elements which each are provided with hinge parts, said hinge parts comprising a first type of hinge parts and a second type of hinge parts, said first and second types of hinge parts being shaped complementarily in such a manner that the hinge parts on two building elements may be interconnected releasably so that they form a hinge link between the building elements, whereby the building elements may be rotated about the common hinge axis defined by the hinge link.
Such toy building sets are known today in numerous embodiments, where the elements provided with hinge parts of course serve to construct structures which contain a hinge function.
The hinge parts of the known toy building sets are thus formed for specific purposes, such as to make it possible to orient the two building elements at an arbitrary angle with respect to each other. An example of this is known from GB Patent Application No. 2 288 551, which discloses a building system comprising building elements which are provided with hinge parts suitable for hinged interconnection of two elements. The building set thus comprises two different hinge types both of which allow building elements to be angled at an arbitrary angle with respect to each other.
FR patent application No. 2 534 484 discloses another system comprising a number of building elements, each having hinge parts for releasably hinged interconnection of two elements, and where the hinge parts allow the elements to be angled at an arbitrary angle with respect to each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 5 582 488 discloses another building system which comprises a link or the interconnection of e.g. toy building elements, said link being provided with hinge parts which have a toothing engaging a corresponding toothing on another link upon interconnection, thereby allowing the two links to be interconnected and angled at discrete angles with respect to each other.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a toy building set of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph which, with a few subcomponents, allows construction of both hinge functions that permit arbitrary angling of two building elements with respect to each other, and hinge functions which facilitate mutual angling of the building elements in discrete positions with respect to each other.
This is achieved according to the present invention in that the first type of hinge parts has a toothing arranged at a specific distance from the common hinge axis, and that the second type of hinge parts comprises a first group which is provided with a toothing arranged at the specific distance from the common hinge axis and a second group of hinge parts which is not provided with such a toothing, said toothings on the first type of hinge parts and on the first group of the second type of hinge parts being directed oppositely to each other in such a manner that they engage each other when the hinge parts are interconnected.
Thus, according to the invention, it is ensured that a hinge connection capable of being angled arbitrarily or continuously as well as another hinge connection capable of easily assuming a plurality of discrete angular positions may be built using just three basically different elements, as the first type of hinge parts, notwithstanding this is provided with a toothing at any time, may be incorporated in the building of both of the above-mentioned situations. A further effect of this is also that in a given construction in which a possible hinge structure is desirably to be changed from assuming a plurality of discrete angular positions to assume arbitrary angular positions or vice versa, this will merely require that just one of the incorporated building elements with hinge parts is to be replaced, thereby making it easier for the user to change functions in a given toy building set.
In a preferred embodiment, the complementarily shaped hinge parts are shaped in such a manner that at least one of these is forcibly deformed elastically by interconnection or separation of the hinge parts. Separate elements for the interconnection of the hinge parts, such as a hinge bolt or the like, may hereby be omitted, as the hinge parts may be interconnected in an easy manner with snap effect.
It is particularly advantageous if the toothings on the complementarily shaped hinge parts have teeth of a given shape and height, and if the complementarily shaped hinge parts are arranged in such a manner that they may be moved a distance with respect to the common hinge axis, said distance being greater than the height of the teeth, in such a manner that the complementary hinge parts on two building elements interconnected by means of the complementary hinge parts are not separated because of rotation of the two building elements with respect to each other about the common hinge axis. The elements may hereby be rotated at different discrete angles with respect to each other without the hinge parts being released from each other.
The first type of hinge parts may advantageously comprise two female flanges which are positioned at a mutual distance at the side of each other so that each of the two female flanges on the first type of hinge parts has a substantially plane female side face facing the corresponding female side face on the other one of the two female flanges, whereby the two female flanges form a space defined by the female side faces, said female side faces being substantially parallel and oriented perpendicularly to the common hinge axis. The female side faces may hereby form effective guide faces which prevent undesirable twisting and thereby disengagement of the hinge parts from each other.
In this connection it is additionally advantageous if the second type of hinge parts forms two substantially plane and mutually parallel male side faces which may be inserted between the two female side faces on the two female flanges on the first type of hinge parts, and if the female side faces on the first type of hinge parts and the male side faces on the second type of hinge parts are provided with complementarily shaped pins and holes which define the hinge axis when the hinge parts are interconnected.
In this connection, the second type of hinge parts may advantageously be formed by a single male flange on which the two male side faces are provided so as to face oppositely to each other, so that all the elastic deformation of the hinge parts caused by the assembly of the hinge is accommodated by the female parts.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the female flanges are secured to a building element at one end and at the end facing away from the building element where they are positioned, and the toothing consists of a plurality of teeth provided on a circular arc which has its centre in the common hinge axis, each of said teeth facing away from the common hinge axis. Other things being equal, it is hereby possible to achieve a toothing with relatively large teeth, which however, nevertheless allow relatively small angles between the individual discrete angles of the hinged building elements.
In this connection, it is advantageous if the toothing on the second type of hinge parts is formed by a plurality of teeth which are aligned with each male side face, and which face the common hinge axis.
The toothing on the second type of hinge parts may advantageously be formed by one or two teeth, and if the toothing on the first type of hinge parts is additionally formed by a larger number of teeth, a relatively great total mutual angular rotation of the two building elements may be achieved, with a given number of teeth.
The toothing on the first type of hinge parts may thus advantageously extend over an angle of more than 90xc2x0 and preferably over a circular arc of about 180xc2x0 about the common hinge axis, thereby achieving an extremely great movability of the hinge link.